How India Reduced Child Mortality Rate: In the last decade, India has achieved such achievements in the field of child health, which are now being discussed all over the world. According to the recently released UN Inter-Agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation 2025 report, there has been a 41 percent decline in the mortality rate of children under five years of age in India between 2014 and 2024. At the same time, the newborn mortality rate has declined by 37 percent. The special thing is that this achievement is much better than the global average, where in the same period there was a decrease of 18 percent in child mortality rate and 15 percent decrease in neonatal mortality rate.

What is the reason behind this success?

Experts believe that this success is not the result of any one scheme, but of continuously strengthened health services for mothers and children. India has given priority to health care from pregnancy to the early years of the child in the last few years. According to the recently released NFHS-6 (2023-24) report, 76.2 percent women received antenatal care in the first trimester of pregnancy itself. At the same time, the number of institutional deliveries has increased to 90.6 percent, which was earlier 88.6 percent. Similarly, deliveries under the supervision of trained health workers have also increased from 89.4 percent to 91.3 percent.

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Considerable improvement in care noted?

The time immediately after birth is considered the most sensitive for children. Keeping this in mind, India has expanded health facilities on a large scale for the care of newborn babies. More than 1,100 special newborn care units and neonatal intensive care units have been established across the country. Along with them, 2,868 Newborn Stabilization Units are also working, which provide specialized care to more than 15 lakh sick and weak newborns every year.

Vaccination also plays a role

Vaccination has also been a major reason for the improvement in the health of children. According to NFHS-6, full vaccination coverage among children aged 12 to 23 months has increased from 76.6 percent to 82.6 percent. A tremendous jump has been seen in rotavirus vaccine coverage, which increased from 36.4 percent to 85.4 percent. India has also made significant progress in the field of nutrition. The problem of stunting i.e. low height for age in children under five years of age has reduced from 35.5 percent to 29.3 percent. At the same time, the rate of severe malnutrition has also decreased from 7.7 percent to 5.5 percent.

Lives of millions of children can be saved

Former Member (Health and Nutrition), NITI Aayog Dr. Vinod K. Paul believes that this achievement of India is not just a national success, but has become an example for the developing countries of the world. He says that strong health system, role of frontline health workers and better use of technology have given great success to India in reducing child mortality rate. This achievement of India shows that with the right policies and sustained efforts, the lives of millions of children can be saved and better health can be given to future generations.

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Disclaimer: This information is based on research studies and expert opinion. Do not consider this as a substitute for medical advice. Before adopting any new activity or exercise, please consult your doctor or relevant specialist.

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States With Highest Infant Mortality Rate In India: There has been a significant decline in the infant fertility rate in India during the last decade. According to the Sample Registration System 2024 report, the infant mortality rate in the country has come down to 24 per 1,000 live births. In the year 2019 this figure was 30. This improvement is believed to be the result of expansion of maternal and child health services and increase in institutional deliveries. Although the picture looks better at the national level, there is still a huge gap between the states.

One in 42 children do not see their first birthday

The report shows that in India, one out of every 42 babies still does not see his first birthday. The situation is more challenging in rural areas, where one in every 37 infants dies before the age of one year. This ratio is better in urban areas and there one death out of every 59 infants was recorded. Experts believe that the increase in institutional deliveries has played an important role in reducing infant mortality. While in the year 2019, less than 83 percent of deliveries were taking place in hospitals or health centers, by 2024 this figure will reach more than 95 percent. Despite this, the report also indicates that the problem is not solved by hospital delivery alone, but care of the newborn after birth is equally important.

In which states the situation is worst

Talking about states, Chhattisgarh appears to be in the most worrying situation. The infant mortality rate here was recorded at 36 per 1,000 live births, which is the highest in the country. After this, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh came next, where this figure was 35. Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh remained at the top in terms of neonatal mortality rate, while Uttar Pradesh also remains in a worrying situation.

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In which states the situation is better

On the contrary, Goa and Sikkim have emerged as the best performing states of the country. The infant mortality rate in both states was only 7 per 1,000 live births. Kerala stood third with 8. In Tamil Nadu and Delhi this figure was 11, while in Tripura it was 12. Maharashtra performed better than the national average by recording a rate of 14, Karnataka 15, Punjab 16, Telangana 17 and Andhra Pradesh 18.

What is still the biggest challenge?

However, the biggest challenge is still the death of newborn babies. According to the report, about 73 percent of the total infant deaths expected in 2024 will occur within the first 28 days of birth. Experts believe that to further reduce infant mortality rate in the coming years, more attention will have to be paid to better care during pregnancy, maternal nutrition, safe delivery and quality medical services of the newborn after birth. India has come a long way in this direction, but there is still a lot of scope for improvement in many states.

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Disclaimer: This information is based on research studies and expert opinion. Do not consider this as a substitute for medical advice. Before adopting any new activity or exercise, please consult your doctor or relevant specialist.

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India Infant Mortality Rates: The impact of efforts to improve health services in India is now gradually becoming visible in the statistics as well. In the last few years, there has been a decline in the infant mortality rate in the country i.e. cases of death of children within one year after birth. This change is considered to be an indication that awareness has increased in hospitals regarding delivery, maternal health services and care of newborn children. However, the picture cannot be called completely good.

Some states of the country have done excellent work in reducing the infant mortality rate, while many states are still lagging far behind. The situation is especially worrying in rural areas, where even today many newborn babies die within a few days or months of birth. The data revealed in the 2024 report of the Sample Registration System (SRS) has sparked a new discussion about the health of children across the country. According to the report, there has been a decline in the infant mortality rate in India, but a huge difference still remains between the states.

How much has the infant mortality rate decreased in the country?

According to the report, the infant mortality rate (IMR) in India was 30 per 1000 live births in 2019, which has come down to 24 in 2024, that is, an average decline of one point was recorded every year. Now fewer children are losing their lives within a year of birth than before. This is being considered a big sign of improvement in health services, yet the situation has not completely improved. The report shows that even now one out of every 42 children in the country does not reach his first birthday. The situation is more serious in rural areas, where one in every 37 children dies.

Which states have the worst situation?

According to the report, the highest infant mortality rate was recorded in Chhattisgarh. Here, 36 infants died per 1000 children. This was followed by Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, where IMR 35 was recorded. There are still many challenges regarding health services in these states. Experts believe that just increasing hospital deliveries will not completely eliminate the problem. Care, nutrition and timely treatment of newborn children is equally important.

These states performed brilliantly

While some states are lagging behind, many states have also performed well. Kerala recorded the lowest infant mortality rate in the country, which was only 8. This was followed by Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Delhi, where IMR 11 was recorded. Experts say that due to better health facilities, awareness and good level of education of women in these states, the cases of child deaths have decreased.

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There is still more danger in rural areas

According to the report, the infant mortality rate in rural areas remains higher than in cities. The biggest difference was seen between rural and urban areas in Assam. Lack of health facilities in rural areas, availability of doctors and lack of awareness are considered to be the major reasons for this. The report also revealed that there is a difference in the infant mortality rate of boys and girls in many states. This difference was most visible in Bihar. In Bihar, IMR of boys was 21, while that of girls was 25. The situation was opposite in Jammu and Kashmir, where the death rate of boys was higher than that of girls.

The first 28 days after birth are the most dangerous.

According to experts, most deaths of infants occur within the first 28 days after birth. This is called Neo-Natal Mortality Rate. About 73 percent of total infant deaths in the country occurred within the first 28 days of birth. India’s neonatal mortality rate was recorded at 18 per 1000 live births. In this case too, Kerala was the best state, where this rate was only 6, whereas in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh this rate was highest at 26, Uttar Pradesh was also among the states raising concerns with the figure of 25.

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Disclaimer: This information is based on research studies and expert opinion. Do not consider this as a substitute for medical advice. Before adopting any new activity or exercise, please consult your doctor or relevant specialist.

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Becoming parents is the most beautiful experience of every person’s life. When a little guest comes to the house, along with it comes a lot of happiness, dreams and responsibilities. Every parent wants that their child remains completely healthy, does not suffer from any disease or problem and lives a good life without any hindrance. But sometimes there are some diseases which are not visible from outside at the time of birth of the child, the child looks absolutely normal, but some serious problem is developing inside.

This is the reason why New Born Screening Test (NBS) is considered very important in today’s time. This is a simple but very important test, which is done immediately after the birth of the child. With the help of this test, those diseases can be detected whose symptoms are not visible initially, but if treatment is not received in time, they can have a deep impact on the health and growth of the child in the future. In many cases, parents later realize that they wish they had got this test done on time.

Why are the first hours of a child’s birth most important?

The first 1,000 minutes (about 16–17 hours) after a child’s birth are very important. If new born screening test is done during this time, then many serious diseases are caught in the beginning itself. With this, doctors can start treatment immediately and the child can be given a healthy future. Sadly, due to lack of information or carelessness, many parents do not consider this test necessary and later regret it. If we look at the figures from around the world, this problem appears even more serious. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 6,500 newborn children die every day. Of the total deaths of children under five years of age, about 47 percent are deaths of newborns. These figures clearly show how important it is to pay special attention to the health of children immediately after birth.

New born screening is necessary in India also

Even in India, infant mortality rate still remains a matter of great concern. There are many diseases which, if identified in time, can be completely controlled. In such a situation, early screening of newborn babies is a very effective step. This can not only save the child’s life, but can also save him from physical and mental problems in the future.

Which diseases are detected by NBS test?

Many serious diseases can be identified at the time of birth through newborn screening test, such as congenital hypothyroidism, congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), G6PD deficiency, galactosemia, biotinidase deficiency, congenital hearing loss, severe congenital heart disease. Symptoms of these diseases are not visible in the beginning, but with time they can hinder the growth of the child. New Born Baby Screening (NBS) test should never be ignored. This test should be done immediately after the birth of the child, so that any hidden disease can be detected in time. With timely diagnosis and treatment, the child can be given a healthy, safe and better life.

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Disclaimer: This information is based on research studies and expert opinion. Do not consider this as a substitute for medical advice. Before adopting any new activity or exercise, please consult your doctor or relevant specialist.

Check out below Health Tools-
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